Our Impact Around the World
Caritas Australia works with communities around the world—from First Nations communities in Australia to families in Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Samoa, and beyond—to create sustainable, lasting change.
Thanks to your generosity, Caritas Australia impacted 2,340,929 people and directly supported 793,372 participants across 30 countries during the 2025 financial year.
With your support, in the 2025 financial year:
Asia
We work with our partners across in Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam, Timor Leste and the Philippines to create lasting and enduring change.
Pacific
Our programs in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji support families in the most remote and vulnerable communities.
Africa
We partner with local communities in Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia to build a better future together.
First Australians
We can walk alongside First Australian communities to strengthen their cultural identity, support intergenerational healing and keep culture alive for future generations.
Our Impact in Asia
Caritas Australia works in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Our commitment to inclusion was evident through projects focused on ensuring children living with disabilities have access to education. These projects also supported families with resources and training to better care for their children.
815,459
people impacted
226,086
direct participants
115,650
women and girls supported
59,683
children and youth
5,538
people living with a disability
36
regional projects
Asia Snapshot
Biru's story
Biru is a member of the Ho community, an ethnic minority group in India. After contracting polio as a child, he lost mobility in one of his legs, which affected his independence, education and employment prospects.
Biru taught himself how to repair bicycles by watching other people, but he never dreamed of using those skills to start his own business. With your generous support, Biru was able to access an entrepreneurship and livelihoods training program, run by Caritas Australia’s partner, Caritas India. He gained the support and skills he needed to establish his own bicycle repair business. Participating in the program also helped Biru to apply for government disability and housing schemes.
Now, Biru is financially independent and can forge a path out of poverty for his four young daughters. He is a respected and essential member of his community, working as a bicycle and motorcycle mechanic to keep his neighbours, friends and families safe on the road. His resilience and determination to overcome the odds has inspired others in his community who are living with a disability to become independent and self-reliant.
Our Impact in the Pacific
Caritas Australia works in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga. This includes initiatives aimed at improving emergency preparedness, response and resilience, as well as programs to build advocacy capacity and promote a unified regional voice on key issues.
290,972
people impacted
155,331
direct participants
77,799
women and girls supported
15,487
children and youth
6,739
people living with a disability
15
regional projects
Pacific Snapshot
Manaini's story
In remote northern Fiji, life has always been a struggle for 44-year-old Manaini, a mother of six and grandmother of two.
Meals were often plain and unbalanced, and store-bought food was too expensive. Leftover crops were fed to animals, and at night the village was in darkness, leaving children and the elderly unsafe. Almost a quarter of Fiji’s population live in poverty, with higher rates in rural villages, where any extra income can mean the difference between children completing school, buying medicine, or covering daily essentials.
Thanks to your generosity, Manaini joined training offered by Caritas Australia's local partner, FRIEND, where she learnt food processing skills to transform leftovers from crops into flour and increase her weekly income.
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Our Impact in Africa
Caritas Australia works in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique; Tanzania, Toga and Zimbabwe. Our programs prioritised building economic resilience and advancing gender equality by empowering women through leadership development, improving income opportunities and increasing access to healthcare services.
746,565
people impacted
77,865
direct participants
40,991
women and girls supported
29,610
children and youth
2,746
people living with a disability
16
regional projects
Africa Snapshot
Thandolwayo's story
Life in her village in north-western Zimbabwe, wasn’t easy for Thandolwayo. Every morning she’d walk seven kilometres and risk being attacked by crocodiles as she collected clean water for her grandparents and family. Exhausted from hours fetching and carrying water, she’d then start her day at school.
Thandolwayo’s hope to be a nurse seemed almost impossible to realise, until Caritas Hwange helped the village install a solar-powered water system. It’s bringing new opportunities, new hope – and a chance for Thandolwayo to concentrate on her education and her future.
Caritas Australia partnered with Caritas Hwange to help the community to install two solar-powered pumps to draw the water up from the river, as well as two 10,000 litre storage tanks. Community participation in the project was overwhelming. Both men and women helped by digging and carrying stones, and water tanks. Thandolwayo’s grandmother also joined other villagers in participating in training in health and hygiene skills.
Now 16 years old, Thandolwayo is flourishing at school and is on track of following her dream to become a nurse.
Our Work in Australia
Australia has a long history of making decisions for First Australian communities, rather than upholding these communities’ rights to decide for themselves. This history has had deep and long-lasting effects on First Australians, as well as Australia as a whole. There are glaring inequalities between the general population and those identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
We support programs in Australia that are designed and led by First Australians. We believe in subsidiarity: that the people best placed to make decisions are those who will be most affected by them.
Partnership
We have been working with First Australian organisations and communities in Australia since 1972.
Programs
We support seven programs through six local partners in Australia.
Priorities
Intergenerational healing, strengthening cultural identity and spirituality, livelihoods opportunities, advocacy
First Australian Snapshot
Janice's story
In many remote communities throughout Australia, Indigenous languages are being lost and traditional social structures are breaking down.
Janice is a Wagilak woman living on Jawoyn country in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
With your generous help, Caritas Australia supports Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation to run an arts and culture centre in the Northern Territory that provides employment and training for First Australians like Janice. Elders run pandanus weaving and printmaking workshops, sharing their knowledge with the younger generation as well as visitors to the centre.
Today, Janice works as a cultural dancer performing traditional dances and acting as a tour guide in the art museum.
The lives transformed through your compassion
Read about the impact that your support achieves. Inspiring stories of strength, resilience and change, that are made possible with your support and generosity.
Chiquito,
Timor Leste
Chiquito, a farmer and father in Timor Leste, transformed his family’s livelihood through sustainable agriculture training. With support from our partner Caritas Diocesana Maliana, he increased crop production, improved market access, and became a role model for other farmers in his community.
Thandolwayo, Zimbabwe
Twelve-year-old Thandolwayo would walk seven kilometres each day, threatened by crocodiles, to collect contaminated water for her family. It looked like she would never realise her hope of finishing her education and becoming a nurse, until a Caritas Australia supported project created access to clean water helping Thandolwayo to stay at school and achieve a future full of hope.
Toefuata'iga,
Samoa
Toefuata'iga, a 13-year-old student in Samoa, faced severe challenges and disruptions to her learning due to water scarcity. After Caritas Australia’s partner Caritas Samoa installed a 10,000 litre water tank at her school, Toefuata'iga and her classmates saw improved health and more consistent class attendance.
Janice, First Australians
Janice is a Wagilak woman living on Jawoyn country in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. With your generous help, Caritas Australia supports Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation to run an arts and culture centre in the Northern Territory that provides employment and training for First Australians like Janice.
Illyena, Ukraine
23-year-old Ilyena, her husband Andrei and their 9-month-old son Bagdan, decided to flee Kharkiv. It took them six days to drive to the Polish border. After they crossed, volunteers from Caritas Poland helped Illyena access a sheltered room for mothers and children, where she can access the necessities she needs to care for Bagdan.
Margret, Solomon Islands
Margret is a teacher at a vocational school for deaf students in the Solomon Islands that suffered long-term water shortages and damage from Tropical Cyclone Harold. With Caritas Australia’s support, Margret’s school installed water tanks, repaired cyclone damage and implemented COVID-19 prevention measures, and is now planning to boost food security
Ronita, Philippines
After the birth of her children, 22-year-old Ronita was at risk of having to leave school permanently. But with the support of Caritas Australia’s partners in the Philippines, she resumed her studies and now has a job to support her family.
Kinchela Boys Home (KBHAC)
Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) was formed by the survivors of Kinchela Boys Home in Kempsey, New South Wales, who were forcibly removed from their families during childhood, part of the Stolen Generations. It aims to support these men, their families and communities in developing healing programs to restore and reconstruct their identity, dignity and integrity.
Leaia, Samoa
Not having access to a reliable source of clean water was very difficult for Leaia and her family. But with the support of Caritas Australia, a water tank was installed at their home, improving their health and living conditions.
Sakhina,
Bangladesh
Sakhina is a Rohingya refugee living in the world's largest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. With the support of Caritas Bangladesh, Sakhina and her daughter, Noor, were able to access essential support, including clean water and sanitation.
